Patrick Stewart in his iconic role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
In early 2001, I received an assignment from Minnesota Monthly magazine: Interview famous people and ask what they like about Minnesota. It was a fun story to work on! Here is my audio interview with Patrick Stewart and the resulting story that was printed in the May 2001 issue.
Click on the audio player below to listen to my six-minute interview with Patrick Stewart.
This illustration of Patrick Stewart and others accompanied the article
Perhaps best known for the role of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which aired from 1987 to 1994, Stewart also is an award-winning stage actor. He portrayed George in the Guthrie Theater’s production this year of Edward Albee‘s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
[During Virginia Woolf], with one exception, I have not really moved anywhere except the quarter-mile between the stage door and my apartment. I know every crack in the sidewalk between here and there. My wife and I drove to Stillwater, where we spent the night in a most wonderful bed and breakfast. It was a beautiful Victorian house, and we found it and the town charming and delightful. It was also a novel experience for us because it was the first time I’d ever seen a frozen river. Wendy and I actually took the opportunity to walk on its surface, not knowing when we would ever have the chance to do that again.
The Guthrie is historically one of the most important theaters in the word. I remember very clearly when I was a young actor in England just starting out working in regional theater, reading in the papers about this exciting new performance space that was going to be built in the Midwest. So I’ve known about the Guthrie for most of my working life. I knew more about the Guthrie than [about] exactly where Minneapolis was.
To have the opportunity at long last to work in this theater is deeply satisfying. Tyrone Guthrie invited me here back in 1964, when I was disappointed that he didn’t cast me in a play he was directing in England. He tried to console me by saying, “Well, I’d like you to come work with me soon in Minneapolis.” It’s taken nearly 40 years for that to come about, but it’s been worth waiting for. Every performance on this stage has been thrilling.
MY POSTS FEATURING MY MINNESOTA MONTHLY AUDIO INTERVIEWS
MY INTERVIEW WITH DOC SEVERINSEN
MY INTERVIEW WITH TOMMY SMOTHERS
MY INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK STEWART
ABOUT PHIL BOLSTA
Phil is the author of Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything, a collection of 45 inspiring, life-changing stories from prominent people he interviewed, including Joan Borysenko, Deepak Chopra, geneticist Dr. Francis Collins, acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford, Dr. Larry Dossey, Wayne Dyer, Dan Millman, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, Dr. Bernie Siegel, James Van Praagh, singer Billy Vera, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, and bassist Victor Wooten.
Here is a three-minute video that introduces you to Phil and his book. Click here to buy Sixty Seconds. Click here to ask Phil to add you to his e-mail list for updates on his blog and books.
Reading this book is like spending a few minutes face to face with each of the contributors and listening to their personal stories. Click here to read unsolicited testimonials from readers. Learn more by visiting the official Sixty Seconds website.
Sixty Seconds was one of three finalists in the General Interest/How-To category at the 12th annual Visionary Awards presented by COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources) in Denver on June 27, 2009.
Tags: Patrick Stewart
